Brand Change After 15 Years... 'ARIRANG→PLUS'
August Launch of 3 ETFs Investing in Korea, US, and Japan
Hanwha Asset Management is changing the name of its exchange-traded fund (ETF) brand to 'PLUS' for the first time in 15 years. The name 'PLUS' embodies the company's commitment and determination to protect customers' assets and realize values beyond everyday life, providing a more prosperous future.
On the 23rd, at the 'PLUS ETF Brand Launch Ceremony' held at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul, Kwon Hee-baek, CEO of Hanwha Asset Management, stated, "PLUS is a brand that reflects Hanwha Asset Management's strategic will to lead the development of the ETF market while adding value. Based on Hanwha Group's belief in a 'sustainable tomorrow,' we aim to focus on proactively discovering new technologies that can enrich the future of humanity, supporting their commercialization efforts, and sharing the resulting achievements."
Choi Young-jin, Head of Strategic Business Division at Hanwha Asset Management, explained the background of the brand change: "With the changes of the times and trends in the financial market, we decided to change the brand to provide better services to our customers. We have been contemplating how to find invisible value and offer a more prosperous future."
Choi likened the new brand symbol?a bracket enclosing a plus sign?to a mother bird carefully nurturing and protecting her eggs in the nest. Just as a mother bird instinctively sacrifices herself to protect her eggs and strengthen the nest, Hanwha Asset Management pledges to cherish and safely guard customers' assets with the heart of a mother bird.
Hanwha Asset Management explains that if the bracket is viewed as a function and the plus sign inside as a variable value, the function's value ultimately represents infinity, symbolizing infinite possibilities. The different plus function values reflect the diverse dreams and goals of customers, and Hanwha Asset Management's role is to discover values beyond everyday life to enrich their lives.
Choi emphasized 'technology' as essential to realizing values beyond everyday life. This includes technologies that protect our lives, property, and planet; technologies that expand space to oceans and outer space; and technologies that connect humanity and artificial intelligence as one. He stressed, "Through PLUS ETFs, we will materialize these 'FUTURE INSIGHTS' into products and deliver them to our customers."
The newly launched ETFs following the brand change were also unveiled. The featured products are 'PLUS High Dividend Premium Weekly Call Option,' 'PLUS Japan Yen Ultra-Short-Term Government Bond,' and 'PLUS Global AI Infrastructure.'
Geum Jeong-seop, Head of the ETF Business Division at Hanwha Asset Management, described the 'PLUS High Dividend Premium Weekly Call Option' as "a product that invests in the same stocks as 'PLUS High Dividend Stocks,' which are expected to yield dividends in the 5% range annually, while simultaneously selling weekly options on the KOSPI 200 to receive premiums." He emphasized, "It pays monthly distributions of about 1.2%, or 14.4% annually, which will provide investors with immediate satisfaction."
Alongside this, the 'PLUS Japan Yen Ultra-Short-Term Government Bond,' which invests in Japanese Ministry of Finance-issued government bonds maturing within three months, will also be launched. This product's price moves in line with the Japanese yen. It allows investment in the 'Super Yen' phenomenon.
Geum explained, "Existing yen investment ETFs invest in yen futures, making it difficult to invest through retirement pension accounts. However, 'PLUS Japan Yen Ultra-Short-Term Government Bond' will be the only product available for investment in all accounts with tax benefits, including personal pensions, retirement pensions, and ISA accounts." He added, "We expect that when Japanese interest rates rise in the future, bond interest income will lead to additional performance gains."
The 'PLUS Global AI Infrastructure' ETF, which invests 25% in Nvidia, a leader in the AI ecosystem, and 75% in AI infrastructure companies, was also newly introduced. It focuses on AI infrastructure centered around data centers where semiconductors are used, investing in companies related to high-performance network equipment, infrastructure for massive power supply, and cooling systems for efficient energy use.
Previews of products to be launched in October were also shared. Geum stated, "The S&P 500 index is almost a perfect product among existing offerings, but at the same time, investors have many additional demands. We will redefine the investment approach to the leading U.S. index."
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